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  1. Books
  2. Biographies
  3. Literary biographies

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4.0(1)

The Real Jane Austen : A Life in Small Things

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘It is good to meet the real Jane Austen at last’

Independent on Sunday

'Brilliantly illuminating … by focusing, chapter by chapter, on one thread or another of Austen’s experience, Byrne allows us to grasp the richness of her inner life’

Guardian

Who was the real Jane Austen? A retiring spinster content with quiet village life? Or a strong-minded woman who chose to remain unmarried and to fashion herself as a professional writer?

Bestselling biographer Paula Byrne uses objects that conjure up a key moment in Austen’s life and work – a vellum notebook, a topaz cross, a writing box and a bathing machine – to reveal the true self of this most beloved author.

'Sparklingly multi-faceted, catching the light in intriguing ways … Byrne’s Jane is far less likely to go for a quiet walk in the garden than she is to be whisked into town in search of a velvet cushion'

Mail on Sunday


Author:

  • Paula Byrne

Narrator:

  • Louise Hulland

Format:

  • Audiobook

Duration:

  • 10 h 58 min

Language:

English

Categories:

  • Biographies
  • Literary biographies

More by Paula Byrne

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  1. Mad World : Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead

    Paula Byrne

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  2. Kick : The True Story of Kick Kennedy, JFK’s Forgotten Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth

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  3. Hardy Women : Mother, Sisters, Wives, Muses

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  4. Some covers are only visible when logged in

    Perdita : The Life of Mary Robinson

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  5. The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym

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  7. Look to Your Wife

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  8. The Genius of Jane Austen : Her Love of Theatre and Why She Is a Hit in Hollywood

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  9. Belle : The True Story of Dido Belle

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  • 10 books

    Paula Byrne

    Paula Byrne is the author the bestselling biographies ‘Perdita’, ‘Mad World’, ‘The Real Jane Austen’, ‘Belle’, ‘Kick’ and ‘The Genius of Jane Austen’. She is founder and chief executive of ReLit, the Bibliotherapy Foundation, a charity devoted to the mental health benefits of reading. She is married to Sir Jonathan Bate and lives in Oxford.

    Read more

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Excellent4.3 out of 5